BREAKING: Man who threatened to kill Eastbourne MP jailed

An Eastbourne man has been jailed today (Thursday) for threatening to kill the town’s MP.

Mark Sands, 50, was sentenced to four months in prison after making threats online to Caroline Ansell MP.

Sands, a factory worker of Upperton Gardens, pleaded guilty at Hastings Magistrates’ Court in March after it heard he wrote, “If you vote to take £30 off my money, I will personally come round to your house ... and stab you to death.” This was followed by an expletive.

The message, posted on the MP’s personal Facebook page and on his own page, was reported by a ‘concerned member of the public’, said the police.

The following day officers arrested Sands and his home. Sussex Police said he was questioned and admitted writing the posts. He was charged with sending by a public electronic communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message on Facebook and pleaded guilty at Hastings Magistrates’ Court on March 15.

On April 12 he appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court where he was sentenced to four months in prison.

Detective Constable Dan Thomson said, “People use social media to express their opinion and views and in most cases this is fine. But many people post things they would never dream about saying in the real world or to someone’s face.

“They think there is the guise of anonymity but where their posts cross the boundary into criminal behaviour we will act and deal with it robustly.”